17555672
submission
silverpig writes:
Apple has finally approved the official Google Voice app for iOS. After 16 months of being in app-review limbo, the app is finally here, but only for users in the US, and not for iPod Touch users. An interesting use for the app would be to use it as a dialing front end on an iPod touch in concert with a VOIP service, but it seems like this isn't an option for now.
It seems like non-US users can get the app if they have a US iTunes account. You can create a US iTunes account without a credit card by following this Apple article.
16336996
submission
silverpig writes:
The first Google Voice app has hit the app store, and it’s called GV Connect. Providing a front end to the Google Voice service, GV Connect allows users of devices running Apple iOS platform to have a native app with which to interact with Google Voice.
What will be interesting to note is the order that these apps are approved in. I know Sean Kovacs was first out with GV Mobile back before Apple banned Google Voice, and while he is in the approval pipeline, this other app has some first mover advantage. I wonder what it means when Google gets their app officially approved as surely it'll be free.
14356998
submission
silverpig writes:
The Skype app has mysteriously disappeared from the App Store. For some reason, Skype is no longer available for Apple devices, even though the Skype website still has a page for it. One might think that this is just a temporary glitch, but it doesn't just affect the US version of the App Store, as it has disappeared from at least the Canadian App Store as well. Is it really just a glitch? Is it coming back? Did Apple pull it intentionally?
12873210
submission
silverpig writes:
Skype has just announced that an updated version of its iPhone app has been released to the app store and now allows calling over 3G.
While this functionality has been available on the iPhone since a January update to the SDK, and while other apps such as Fring have enabled 3G VOIP calling through their apps, Skype has been noticeably absent from the VOIP over 3G landscape. Until today.
Included in the app update are some UI tweaks and a call quality indicator to help you predict what your VOIP over 3G call quality will be like.
Most interesting in the announcement is the suggestion that while skype-to-skype over 3G will be free for 2010, skype is investigating pricing options and may charge for it in 2011. This could lead to smartphones being sold with data only + skype plans.
12419050
submission
silverpig writes:
It's not every day that a new cellular company opens its doors. The latest new entrant into the Canadian consumer wireless industry announced its launch plans today and will open its doors tomorrow. Following in the footsteps of Wind Mobile, Mobilicity (formerly DAVE wireless) is the second new entrant into the oligopoly of Canadian wireless companies. Limited initially to the Toronto area, they will expand to other major Canadian cities later this year. Key features include an "all you can eat" plan consisting of unlimited everything for $65 a month, and a pay-as-you-go account called "My Wallet" which will be used for pay-per-use services.
The "My Wallet" feature seems great as it looks like pay-per-use will ONLY come out of "My Wallet" and will never appear on your monthly bill. Thus, if you go out of your service area and start racking up huge roaming fees, you'll be cut off once the balance is gone and you won't be stuck with a nasty surprise come the end of the month.
9061260
submission
silverpig writes:
Yesterday marked the announcement of the Apple iPad device, and with it came a new version of the SDK. In this new version, Apple has lifted the voip over 3G restrictions that limited VOIP traffic to wifi only.
This morning, Fring announced that it's iPhone app is 3G capable starting immediately. No update is needed as apparently the app had 3G capability all along, but a server side block prevented its use.
Furthermore, apparently a 3G capable version of skype has been ready for some time now, and has been waiting for this restriction to be lifted.
8610226
submission
silverpig writes:
Calls through google voice to Canada have been free since August, but some users have noticed recently being charged. The $0.02 per minute rate is the same as what Gizmo5 charged for calls to Canada. Gizmo5 was a VOIP company which was acquired by google in November and it now seems that calls to Canada may be going through Gizmo5, evidence of the incorporation of google voice's VOIP abilities with Gizmo5's PSTN connectivity abilities.
